U.S. patent application number 13/102049 was filed with the patent office on 2012-06-21 for touch panel.
This patent application is currently assigned to WINTEK CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Ting-Yu Chang, Ching-Fu Hsu, Chien-Min Tsai, Ying-Ching Tseng.
Application Number | 20120154299 13/102049 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46233727 |
Filed Date | 2012-06-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120154299 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Hsu; Ching-Fu ; et
al. |
June 21, 2012 |
TOUCH PANEL
Abstract
A touch panel including a first substrate, a second substrate, a
first electrode layer, a second electrode layer, a third electrode
layer, and a transparent piezoelectric material layer is provided.
The first substrate is opposite to the second substrate. The first
electrode layer, the second electrode layer, and the third
electrode layer are sequentially arranged and located between the
first substrate and the second substrate. The first electrode
layer, the second electrode layer, and the third electrode layer
are separated from one another. The transparent piezoelectric
material layer is disposed between the second electrode layer and
the third electrode layer.
Inventors: |
Hsu; Ching-Fu; (Taichung
County, TW) ; Chang; Ting-Yu; (Kaohsiung County,
TW) ; Tseng; Ying-Ching; (Taichung City, TW) ;
Tsai; Chien-Min; (New Taipei City, TW) |
Assignee: |
WINTEK CORPORATION
Taichung City
TW
DONGGUAN MASSTOP LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY CO., LTD.
Guangdong Province
CN
|
Family ID: |
46233727 |
Appl. No.: |
13/102049 |
Filed: |
May 5, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
345/173 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 3/044 20130101;
G06F 3/041 20130101; G06F 3/045 20130101; G06F 3/016 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
345/173 |
International
Class: |
G06F 3/041 20060101
G06F003/041 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 16, 2010 |
TW |
99144312 |
Claims
1. A touch panel, comprising: a first substrate; a second substrate
opposite to the first substrate; a first electrode layer; a second
electrode layer; a third electrode layer, the first electrode
layer, the second electrode layer, and the third electrode layer
being sequentially arranged and located between the first substrate
and the second substrate, and the first electrode layer, the second
electrode layer, and the third electrode layer being separated from
one another; and an transparent piezoelectric material layer,
disposed between the second electrode layer and the third electrode
layer.
2. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a
plurality of spacers, disposed between the first electrode layer
and the second electrode layer.
3. The touch panel as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first
electrode layer comprises a plurality of first stripe electrodes,
and the second electrode layer comprises a plurality of second
stripe electrodes, and a direction each of the first stripe
electrodes extends intersects with a direction each of the second
stripe electrodes extends.
4. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a
first insulating layer, disposed between the first electrode layer
and the second electrode layer.
5. The touch panel as claimed in claim 4, further comprising a
fourth electrode layer and a plurality of spacers, wherein the
fourth electrode layer is disposed between the first electrode
layer and the first insulating layer, and the spacers are disposed
between the fourth electrode layer and the first electrode
layer.
6. The touch panel as claimed in claim 4, further comprising a
plurality of first padding elements and a plurality of second
padding elements, the first padding elements are disposed between
the first insulating layer and the second electrode layer, the
second padding elements are disposed between the third electrode
layer and the second substrate, and adjacent first padding elements
are separated by a first gap and adjacent second padding elements
are separated by a second gap.
7. The touch panel as claimed in claim 6, further comprising a
first shielding electrode layer and a second shielding electrode
layer, wherein the first padding elements are disposed between the
first shielding electrode layer and the second electrode layer, and
the second shielding electrode layer is disposed between the second
padding elements and the second substrate.
8. The touch panel as claimed in claim 4, wherein the first
electrode layer comprises a plurality of first sensing series and a
plurality of second sensing series, a direction each of the first
sensing series extends intersects with a direction each of the
second sensing series extends.
9. The touch panel as claimed in claim 4, further comprising a
fourth electrode layer and a second insulating layer, the fourth
electrode layer is disposed between the first electrode layer and
the first insulating layer, and the second insulating layer is
disposed between the fourth electrode layer and the first electrode
layer.
10. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transparent
piezoelectric material layer is substantially disposed on the
overall area covered by the first electrode.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the priority benefit of Taiwan
application serial no. 99144312, filed Dec. 16, 2010. The entirety
of the above-mentioned patent application is hereby incorporated by
reference herein and made a part of this specification.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The invention relates to a touch panel, and more
particularly, to a touch panel with sound functions.
[0004] 2. Description of Related Art
[0005] Most portable electronic devices on the current market have
sound functions such as an alarm clock or a music player. In
addition, according to the user setting, the portable electronic
device can play many different sound effects corresponding to, for
example, an e-mail alert, text alert, or low battery alert. The
above sound effects are played through speakers of the portable
electronic device.
[0006] Generally, the speakers of the portable electronic device
are disposed on the front face, and in the frame area of the
device. However, new types of portable electronic devices are
constantly replacing old ones, and the external designs trend
towards a smaller and reduced volume. Speakers will limit the
external design of portable electronic products. In order to reduce
the limitation, the speakers can be designed on the back side of
the portable electronic device. However, when the portable
electronic device is placed on a table, since the back side faces
down, the sound from the speakers will be blocked by the table.
This causes a lower volume and may hinder the user from clearly
hearing the sounds.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The invention provides a touch panel that can produce sound
and replace the configuration of speakers. Thus, the electronic
device can omit the area required for a speaker configuration,
allowing a larger display area. In addition, the touch panel
provides a sound producing structure with a large area equipped
with desirable sound volume, reducing the possibility of the user
being unable to clearly hear the sound due to low volume.
[0008] The invention provides a touch panel including a first
substrate, a second substrate, a first electrode layer, a second
electrode layer, a third electrode layer, and a transparent
piezoelectric material layer. The first substrate is opposite to
the second substrate. The first electrode layer, the second
electrode layer, and the third electrode layer are sequentially
arranged and located between the first substrate and the second
substrate, and the first electrode layer, the second electrode
layer, and the third electrode layer are separated from one
another. The transparent piezoelectric material layer is disposed
between the second electrode layer and the third electrode
layer.
[0009] Based on the above, the touch panel of the invention is
disposed with a transparent piezoelectric material layer, and two
electrode layers are disposed on the two sides of the transparent
piezoelectric material layer. When the touch panel senses contact
or when the user wants the electronic device with the touch panel
to play a sound, the transparent piezoelectric material layer will
vibrate and produce sound because of the change in voltage between
the two electrode layers. Since the transparent piezoelectric
material layer is disposed on the overall operating area of the
touch panel, the touch panel has a large area to produce sound
which helps in raising the volume of the sound.
[0010] In order to make the aforementioned and other features and
advantages of the invention more comprehensible, embodiments
accompanying figures are described in detail below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further
understanding of the disclosure, and are incorporated in and
constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate
embodiments of the disclosure and, together with the description,
serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.
[0012] FIG. 1 shows a touch panel according to the first embodiment
of the invention.
[0013] FIG. 2 shows a touch panel according to the second
embodiment of the invention.
[0014] FIG. 3 is a partial schematic top view of touch panel shown
in FIG. 2.
[0015] FIG. 4 shows a touch panel according to the third embodiment
of the invention.
[0016] FIG. 5 is a top schematic view of an electrode layer in the
sound producing structure.
[0017] FIG. 6 shows a touch panel according to the fourth
embodiment of the invention.
[0018] FIG. 7 shows a touch panel according to the fifth embodiment
of the invention.
[0019] FIG. 8 shows a touch panel according to the sixth embodiment
of the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0020] FIG. 1 shows a touch panel according to the first embodiment
of the invention. Referring to FIG. 1, a touch panel 100 includes a
first substrate 110, a second substrate 120, a first electrode
layer 130, a second electrode layer 140, a third electrode layer
150, a transparent piezoelectric material layer 160, and a
plurality of spacers 170. The first substrate 110 is configured
opposite to the second substrate 120. The first electrode layer
130, the second electrode layer 140, and the third electrode layer
150 are sequentially arranged and located between the first
substrate 110 and the second substrate 120, and the first electrode
layer 130, the second electrode layer 140, and the third electrode
layer 150 are separated from one another. The transparent
piezoelectric material layer 160 is disposed between the second
electrode layer 140 and the third electrode layer 150. In addition,
the spacers 170 are disposed between the first electrode layer 130
and the second electrode layer 140.
[0021] In the embodiment, the first electrode layer 130, the
spacers 170, and the second electrode layer 140, for example, form
a touch sensing structure TP with a resistive type touch sensing
function. In addition, the first electrode layer 130, the second
electrode layer 140, and the third electrode layer 150 can be
electrically connected to a control circuit C through a plurality
of bonding pads P. When the user presses the touch panel 100
through the first substrate 110 or the second substrate 120, the
first electrode layer 130 and the second electrode layer 140 can be
conducted, which creates a corresponding contact signal at the
pressed area. The control circuit C can calculate the position the
user pressed according to the aforementioned touch control signal.
In the embodiment, the control circuit C is connected to the second
substrate 120, but the invention is not limited thereto. In other
embodiments, the control circuit C may be connected to the first
substrate 110, or directly fabricated on one of the first substrate
110 or the second substrate 120 to make up a chip on glass (COG)
design.
[0022] In addition, the transparent piezoelectric material layer
160 is disposed between the second electrode layer 140 and the
third electrode layer 150, and the material thereof is, for
example, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF). Because of the PVDF
characteristics, if there is a change in voltage between the second
electrode 140 and the third electrode 150, the transparent
piezoelectric material layer 160 will vibrate, which produces
sound. Thus, the transparent piezoelectric material layer 160
disposed between the second electrode layer 140 and the third
electrode layer 150 can form a sound producing structure S of the
touch panel 100. Therefore, an electronic device using the touch
panel 100 can produce sound without an additional speaker
configuration, so that the electronic device has a reduced
volume.
[0023] Specifically, the first electrode layer 130, the second
electrode layer 140, and the third electrode layer 150 are all
electrically connected to the control circuit C. Thus, when the
user needs the electronic device to produce a sound, the control
circuit C of the touch panel 100 can transmit the corresponding
signal to the second electrode layer 140 and the third electrode
layer 150, so that the transparent piezoelectric material layer 160
vibrates and produces the required sound. In addition, when the
user presses the second electrode layer 140 of the touch panel 100,
it will also cause a change in voltage of the second electrode
layer 140. Thus, when the user presses the touch panel 100, the
transparent piezoelectric material layer 160 can also produce a
sound according to the aforementioned change in voltage.
[0024] In general, the transparent piezoelectric material layer 160
can produce sound according to the touch operation of the user, and
can also produce sound according to the signal of the control
circuit C. Thus, besides providing a touch sensing function, the
touch panel 100 further provides a sound function. The electronic
device with the aforementioned touch panel 100 of the invention can
directly perform functions such as playing music or sounding
alerts. In addition, when the user touches the touch panel 100, the
vibration of the transparent piezoelectric material layer 160 can
be sensed by the user, and provide the user with a different
tactile sensation.
[0025] In the embodiment, the touch panel 100 can substantially be
integrated with a display panel, wherein either the first substrate
110 or the second substrate 120 can be the substrate for the
display panel. In addition, the other first substrate 110 or second
substrate 120 may be a decorative cover plate. Of course, the first
substrate 110 and the second substrate 120 can respectively be a
glass substrate, a plastic substrate, or any other load bearing
substrate.
[0026] In the embodiment, the transparent piezoelectric material
layer 160 has a transparent property, so the transparent
piezoelectric material layer 160 can be disposed on the overall
touch area of the touch panel 100. In other words, the transparent
piezoelectric material layer 160 will not block the displayed light
and will not limit the external design of the electronic device. In
a conventional electronic device that can only be designed with
speakers on the frame, the frame requires a certain width. When
applying the touch panel 100 of the embodiment on an electronic
device, it will not require a frame with a large width, aiding in
reducing the volume of the electronic device. In addition, the
transparent piezoelectric material layer 160 that is disposed on
the overall touch operating area of the touch panel 100, i.e. the
overall area the first electrode layer 130 is covered, has a large
area to effectively produce sound and increase sound volume.
Furthermore, the area of the touch panel 100 that can produce sound
is not limited to a specified partial area, which helps improve the
uniformity of the sound producing area. Of course, in different
design requirements, the transparent piezoelectric material layer
160 can be partially disposed around the edge of the touch panel
100, and not disposed on the overall touch operating area of the
touch panel 100.
[0027] In addition, the first electrode layer 130 and the second
electrode layer 140 of the touch panel 100 are described as a
conductive layer disposed on the overall touch operating area of
the touch panel 100, but the invention is not limited thereto.
Specifically, the invention can further adopt multiple methods to
achieve the touch sensing function of the touch panel 100. Thus,
multiple embodiments are provided below, and the scope of the
invention is described without limiting the premise of the
invention. It should be noted that the touch sensing structures and
sound producing structures of the embodiments below both can be
connected to a control circuit. The structures undergo touch
sensing calculations through the control circuit, and the control
circuit controls the vibration and sound produced by the
transparent piezoelectric material layer.
[0028] FIG. 2 shows a touch panel according to the second
embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 is a partial schematic top view
of touch panel shown in FIG. 2. Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, a
touch panel 200 is similar to the touch panel 100, while the
difference therebetween lies in that a first electrode layer 230
and a second electrode layer 240 of the touch panel 200 are not
completely disposed on the overall touch operating area of the
touch panel 200. In detail, the first electrode layer 230 comprises
a plurality of first stripe electrodes 232, and the second
electrode layer 240 comprises a plurality of second stripe
electrodes 242, and a direction the first stripe electrodes 232
extend intersects with a direction the second stripe electrodes 242
extend. Therefore, the first electrode layer 230, the second
electrode layer 240, and the spacers 170 between the two electrode
layers form a touch sensing structure TP with a resistance type
multi-points touch sensing function.
[0029] FIG. 4 shows a touch panel according to the third embodiment
of the invention. Referring to FIG. 4, a touch panel 300 besides
including the first substrate 110, the second substrate 120, the
first electrode layer 130, the second electrode layer 140, the
third electrode layer 150, the transparent piezoelectric material
layer 160, and the plurality of spacers 170 of the touch panel 100,
further includes a fourth electrode layer 380 and an insulating
layer 390. The insulating layer 390 is disposed between the fourth
electrode layer 380 and the second electrode layer 140, and the
fourth electrode layer 380 is disposed between the insulating layer
390 and the spacers 170. The first electrode layer 130, the spacers
170, and the fourth electrode layer 380 together construct the
touch sensing structure TP, and the second electrode layer 140, the
transparent piezoelectric material layer 160, and the third
electrode layer 150 together construct the sound producing
structure S. In the embodiment, the touch sensing structure TP and
the sound producing structure S are separated by the insulating
layer 390, and are operated independently.
[0030] In addition, FIG. 5 is a top schematic view of an electrode
layer in the sound producing structure. Referring to FIG. 4 and
FIG. 5, in an embodiment, the second electrode layer 140 or the
third electrode layer 150 can be formed in the shape of a ring
pattern F (the second electrode layer 140 of FIG. 5 is described as
being formed in the shape of a ring pattern F, for example),
disposed around the transparent piezoelectric material layer 160.
Therefore, the design of the second electrode layer 140 or the
third electrode layer 150 can allow a distance (the thickness of
the second electrode 140 or the third electrode 150) between the
transparent piezoelectric material layer 160 and its adjacent
components, to define a resonance box structure and help the
transparent piezoelectric material layer 160 produce sound. In
other words, the invention does not limit the second electrode
layer 140 or the third electrode layer 150 to be disposed on the
overall touch operating area of the touch panel 300.
[0031] FIG. 6 shows a touch panel according to the fourth
embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 6, a touch panel 400
includes a first substrate 410, a second substrate 420, a first
electrode layer 430, a second electrode layer 440, a third
electrode layer 450, a transparent piezoelectric material layer
460, an insulating layer 470, a plurality of first padding elements
480, and a plurality of second padding elements 490. The first
substrate 410 is configured opposite to the second substrate 420.
The first electrode layer 430, the second electrode layer 440, and
the third electrode layer 450 are sequentially arranged and located
between the first substrate 410 and the second substrate 420. The
transparent piezoelectric material layer 460 is disposed between
the second electrode layer 440 and the third electrode layer 450,
and the material thereof is PVDF. The insulating layer 470 is
disposed between the first electrode layer 430 and the second
electrode layer 440. In the embodiment, the second electrode layer
440, the transparent piezoelectric layer 460, and the third
electrode layer 450 are stacked into a sound producing structure S.
The first padding elements 480 and the second padding elements 490
are respectively located on the two opposite sides of the sound
producing structure S.
[0032] The first padding elements 480 and the second padding
elements 490 can respectively surround the transparent
piezoelectric material layer 460 to form a resonance box structure,
so the transparent piezoelectric material layer 460 vibrates when
there is a change in voltage between the second electrode layer 440
and the third electrode layer 450. In addition, the first padding
elements 480 are separated by a gap G1, and the second padding
elements are separated by a gap G2. When the transparent
piezoelectric material layer 460 vibrates and produces sound, the
sound can be transmitted through the gap G1 and the gap G2 to the
outside and reach the user. That is to say, the gap G1 and the gap
G2 provide a sound transmission channel so the sound produced by
the transparent piezoelectric material layer 460 can reach the
external world.
[0033] In the embodiment, the first electrode layer 430, for
example, can be a surface capacitive type touch sensing structure
through a single layer of transparent conductive material, or be a
projection capacitor type touch sensing structure through a
plurality of first sensing series and a plurality of second sensing
series. When the first electrode layer 430 uses an assembly of a
plurality of first sensing series and a plurality of second sensing
series, the direction each first sensing series extends intersects
can be perpendicular with the direction each second sensing series
extends. When undergoing touch sensing, the first electrode layer
430 produces a change in capacitance due to a touch operation of
the user. At that moment, a driving chip or a driving circuit (not
shown) used for touch controlling will obtain a touch coordinate
according to the change in capacitance. After transmitting a signal
to the control circuit (not shown) of the touch panel 400, the
control circuit further transmits the control signal to the second
electrode layer 440 and the third electrode layer 450, so the
transparent piezoelectric material layer 460 vibrates and produces
sound corresponding to the touch of the user. That is to say, when
the user touches the touch panel 400, the transparent piezoelectric
material layer 460 can produce sound through the control of the
control circuit, so that the user will hear the corresponding sound
when touching, enjoying the experience of multi-function
variation.
[0034] FIG. 7 shows a touch panel according to the fifth embodiment
of the invention. Referring to FIG. 7, a touch panel 500 is similar
to the touch panel 400, while the difference therebetween lies in
that the touch panel 500 further comprises a fourth electrode layer
510 and an insulating layer 520. In the embodiment, the fourth
electrode layer 510 is disposed between the first electrode layer
430 and the insulating layer 470, and the insulating layer 520 is
disposed between the fourth electrode layer 510 and the first
electrode layer 430. The first electrode layer 430, the insulating
layer 520, and the fourth electrode layer 510 together construct a
touch sensing structure TP, and the touch sensing structure TP of
the embodiment has a capacitive type touch sensing function. Of
course, in other embodiments, the insulating layer 520 can be
replaced by the plurality of spacers 170 shown in FIG. 1, causing
the touch panel 500 to have a resistive type touch sensing
function.
[0035] The design of the touch sensing structure TP is not limited
thereto. In other embodiments, the fourth electrode layer 510 can
be selectively disposed on a side of the first substrate 410 away
from the first electrode layer 430. As such, the touch panel 500
can omit the configuration of the insulating layer 520. In
addition, the first electrode layer 430 and the fourth electrode
layer 510 can each be formed by a plurality of stripe electrodes or
a plurality of sensing series.
[0036] Furthermore, in order to avoid mutual interference in the
signal between each component, FIG. 8 further shows another
embodiment. FIG. 8 shows a touch panel according to the sixth
embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 8, a touch panel 600
is similar to the touch panel 400, while the difference
therebetween lies in that the touch panel 600 further includes
shielding electrode layers 610 and 620. The first padding elements
480 are disposed between the shielding electrode layer 610 and the
second electrode layer 440, and the shielding electrode layer 620
is disposed between the second padding elements 490 and the second
substrate 420.
[0037] The shielding electrode layer 610 can prevent signal
interference between the first electrode layer 430 and the sound
producing structure S, and the shielding electrode layer 620 can
prevent signal interference between the sound producing structure S
and the components outside the second substrate 420. For example,
when the second substrate 420 is the substrate for a display panel,
the configuration of the shielding electrode layer 620 can
effectively prevent signal interference between the display panel
and the sound producing structure S. As such, the touch panel 600
can have a good touch sensing function and a good sound producing
effect. The touch sensing display panel configured with the touch
panel 600 can also have a good display effect. Furthermore, the
electronic device using the touch panel 600 can have narrow edges,
satisfying the design for a small overall volume.
[0038] Generally, the invention disposes two electrode layers in
the touch panel and a transparent piezoelectric material layer
between the two electrode layers to form a sound producing
structure. Thus, besides providing a touch sensing function, the
touch panel further provides a sound function to replace the
conventional use of speakers. When applying the touch panel in
electronic devices, speakers can be omitted, allowing the overall
volume to the electronic device to be reduced. In addition, the
sound producing structure can be transparent, and so the display
area of the electronic device will not be limited by the sound
producing structure. Since the transparent piezoelectric material
layer is disposed on the overall touch operating area of the touch
panel, the touch panel has a large area to produce sound which
helps in raising the volume of the sound.
[0039] Although the invention has been described with reference to
the above embodiments, it will be apparent to one of the ordinary
skill in the art that modifications to the described embodiment may
be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.
Accordingly, the scope of the invention will be defined by the
attached claims not by the above detailed descriptions.
* * * * *